BBME 2023 announces its comprehensive agenda aimed at facilitating the industry’s growth in new markets

The region’s leading breakbulk and project cargo event will highlight themes such as sustainability, digitalisation, and opportunities in Saudi Arabia and Africa

Held under the patronage of the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, Breakbulk Middle East (BBME) 2023 announced its strategic agenda aimed at catalysing the sector’s progress in the region. Scheduled to take place on 13 – 14 February 2023 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, the region’s leading breakbulk and project cargo event will highlight themes such as the sustainable development of the sector, the need to adopt advanced digital solutions, and the opportunities for growth that lie in markets such as UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Africa.

Known to be the ideal place for the sector to network, secure business collaborations, and discuss pressing concerns, the 2023 edition of the event is expected to attract over 4000 visitors, and more than 2100 companies from 55+ countries. Driven by the valuable recommendations of the Breakbulk Middle East Programme Advisory Board, including members from ADNOC Logistics & Services, Air Products, BBC Chartering, DB Schenker, DSV, and Fluor, the event will cover topics that are essential for driving its progress.

Strategically planned sessions

BBME 2023 will host a series of informative and engaging sessions, featuring leading industry experts from across the region’s supply chain. Incorporating sessions such as “MENA Project Review”, “Saudi Arabia Project Spotlight: The Role of Giga Projects”, “Africa as a Region of Opportunity: Outlook, Projects and Entering the Market”, and “Renewable Energy in the GCC: What is Possible?”; the upcoming edition of the event will identify new business prospects within the GCC and beyond. Discussions will comprise, the role of giga-projects such as the NEOM and King Salman Energy Park project in Saudi Arabia, and the North Field East LNG expansion project in Qatar, in driving the economic growth of the region, as well as enabling the expansion of the breakbulk sector in new markets.

Ben Blamire, Event Director of Breakbulk Middle East said: “As the most sought-after event in the region’s breakbulk and project cargo sector, it is necessary that we serve as an ideal meeting point for industry stakeholders, where knowledge sharing is at the core of their interactions. In order to do so, we needed to identify key matters of concern in the sector, and propose an event program that tactically touches upon all of them. While decarbonisation and digitalisation have remained as our focus for many years now, this time, we have also directed attention towards new markets that house massive opportunities for the industry’s growth in the region.”

Enabling sustainable progress

Staying true to its reputation as a knowledge hub, BBME 2023 will host valuable sessions dedicated to informing attendees about trends that will affect project management and costs. The “MPV Outlook: Trends, Trade & Fleet”, “Business Outlook: Rates, Capacity and Sustainability”, and “End-to-End Logistics: Artificial and Business Intelligence Driving Efficiency in Ports” sessions will bring together some of the industry’s most renowned experts to not only discuss how fluctuating rates over the coming months will impact businesses; but to also tackle the ongoing challenges facing the industry amid geopolitical instability.

Leslie Meredith, Marketing Director of Breakbulk Events and Media said: "The agenda for BBME 2023 is carefully designed to address the unique challenges and opportunities facing the industry. Some of the most important subjects that needed to be tackled in today’s rapidly changing scenario were, shipping rates and capacity, adoption of digital tools, and resilience amid geopolitical instability. Strategically prepared with the help of our Advisory Board, our agenda will serve as a roadmap, guiding the sector towards finding practical solutions to key concerns, and delivering a valuable experience for all attendees.”

In terms of devising practical solutions to facilitate the industry’s growth, the 2023 edition of the event will host sessions such as “Rethinking Freight Formats” and “Building the Business Case for Deployment of Logistics Technology for Industrial Projects”. With the help of these sessions, BBME will highlight how changing the freight format model could be the best option for a collaborative approach to de-risking engagement on projects. These sessions will also emphasise on the various latest technologies being used in the sector, and how these advanced solutions can drive efficiency, while transforming business models of ports and terminals throughout the MENA region.